


Flint and Steel

by PenNameArtist, StormblazeP51



Category: Cars (Pixar Movies), Planes (Movies)
Genre: Being Lost, Collaboration, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,194
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23644855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenNameArtist/pseuds/PenNameArtist, https://archiveofourown.org/users/StormblazeP51/pseuds/StormblazeP51
Summary: Flint and Cooper get separated during a business trip in the bad side of town. Flint accidentally runs into someoneelseamidst the darkness...Steel wasn't expecting a visitor.Collaboration between PenNameArtist/StormBlazeP51
Comments: 13
Kudos: 1





	1. Flint

**Author's Note:**

> -We will always remember April the 13th, 2020….as the day we fucked up and nearly lost the entire story to Google Drive. But it turns out we didn’t so it’s okay. But we almost did. And we almost died. XD  
> -Flint and Steel belong to PenNameArtist (I’m pretty sure everything/one else is Storm’s :P )  
> -Also special thanks for BobblyChicken for beta reading and I think some edits? Unconfirmed edits. Potentially.

The streets along the outskirts of Chicago were dim, lit only by the low, flickering ambiance of overhead streetlights. Flint had never been this far into the back allies of any city before, and his nerves wracked his frame as he followed his co-worker about.

Cooper, despite the joy of getting to bargain with the black market for goodies for the first time in a while, was in a mood going ahead of the young Mazda, just tired of having to _always_ be the one to babysit him. He’d been here long enough damnit, why did he still have to be hanging off his tread for everything?

Something in an alley beside them shuffled, and Flint jumped, bumping into the Ford Focus.  
“Gah! Flint, you-”

A crow fluttered out from beside the dumpster where they had passed, cawing to them as he took to the skies again.

“Do you really still have to be such a wimp?” Cooper asked.

“I thought it was somebody after us!”

“Then the point is to keep moving! Gosh, why do you have to make everything so difficult...just quit balling and follow me.”

Hesitantly, the dark blue car followed, as they rounded another corner deeper into the alleyways in the outskirts of town.

\-----

Not very far from Chicago’s suburbs, two cars patrolled along an old, rusted wire fence. Their eyes reflected the bits of light that stars and distant city lamps created, glowing green and yellow in the darkness. At the head of the small formation was a charcoal black 2019 Ford taurus hybrid. He held reign over these grounds. His companion Skylar, a deep grey 98’ hyundai tiburon, one of the most loyal of his followers trailed behind, always keeping his eyes out for scraps or other mechanisms. 

The land they lived on was quite desolate, covered in inches of ash from _decades _of industrial work. Life here was hard and full of privations. Clashes with the rivaling clans were routine.__

__Yet somehow, they managed._ _

__After a while of silence, Skylar stopped behind the Taurus, waiting until his leader was back beside him. A question was burning in the younger car's mind._ _

__“How are the negotiations with Chuck going?” asked the Hyundai carefully, knowing that the topic he was getting into was one that should be treated with care._ _

__“More or less well. He demanded me to grant his hunters to make prey here,” the Hyundai growled lowly but quieted as the other kept talking. “And he asked for our alliance against those rogues. Apparently they snatched another part of his territory.”_ _

__Skylar hissed in unguarded amusement. “What?! Can’t he take care of those pathetic ra-!” The Taurus stopped him midsentece with a withering glare. Skylar quickly shut his mouth and instead decided to listen to what the older had to say._ _

__“Don’t make the same mistake which had almost cost Jake his life! If it hadn’t been for his ignorance towards the possible threat that they pose, then he’d still be our leader and you know that. Just because they don’t have a territory of their own doesn’t mean they aren’t less dangerous than the clans. So, don’t _ever_ make the mistake to underestimate an enemy again. Am I clear?” _ _

__“Yes, my liege...” The Hyundai cowed slightly and backed up. The Taurus huffed in annoyance._ _

__“I won’t bite your head off.” he ribbed gently before he added “Leave. I’ll manage the rest of the border by myself. At this hour rarely someone’s outside. You should lead the next hunting party tomorrow, our supplies are getting sparse, the caretakers are demanding more food for the pups and you could use the extra experience.”_ _

__Although he hesitated at first, the younger male nodded. He had never led the hunting parties before. “As you wish.” With that the Hyundai turned and drove away, leaving the hybrid alone to finish the evening’s patrol of the clan borders._ _

__\----_ _

__“You know what, why don’t you just stay _here?_ ” Cooper suggested, finally growing tired of the younger male’s worry._ _

__“Wha- by _myself??_ ” Flint questioned._ _

__“Yes, so you can _finally_ stop bothering me! I’ll be quick, I know what I’m looking for.” The Ford fusion pushed the young Mazda over to a seating area under the light of a flickering street lamp, “Just stay put, I’ll be back.”_ _

__Flint wanted to protest, but then again Cooper would be headed into the thick of the black market, and he honest to goodness had no wish to cross paths with such activities. He wasn’t even altogether sure why he’d been brought out here - though the big boss probably had something to do with it. Cooper probably didn’t want to be out this late in this place anyways, he couldn’t be that long. What could go wrong?_ _

__Absolutely everything._ _

__\-----_ _

__Cooper had definitely been gone more than twenty minutes. More like an hour and a half at this point. Flint would have been concerned, if this wasn’t the tech-nerdy Ford we were talking about. He was probably chatting away to a store clerk or something stupid…_ _

__Flint was tempted to go after his co-worker, but he was unfamiliar with this place. All the same...where he was wasn’t any safer feeling. Especially once the street lamp finally flickered out and died._ _

__The wind was beginning to pick up around the dark alleys around him, blowing leaves and debris across the empty street. As much as he wanted to look the picture of calm, cool and collected, he was shaking in his treads in such a foreign place. Oh how he wished to be back home by a nice warm fire, no threat of attackers around…_ _

__As he stood wishing to be back home in the familiar space, he was startled by the rattle of something outside of his vision. And then something heavy collided with his flank, and he spooked, ripping away from the thing and bolting across the street._ _

__He wanted to find Cooper. He remembered he’d gone somewhere down this way, surely he wasn’t that far out. He was sure if he made it to the marketplace he could spot the fusion’s white-ish silver paint job. He was sure he’d made a right...or was it a left? Maybe it was a right and then left over to the...no, maybe not._ _

__As panic began to set in, the young male couldn’t sense the direction of his co-worker nor where he’d been told to stay. He couldn’t go back now, he’d forgotten how many turns he’d made...or U-turns…_ _

__Crossing another road he hoped was a backtracked one, he passed what looked like the remnants of an industrial building. It had no doubt sat for years, abandoned from care and desperately needing a few new windows...or a lot, and some landscapers...maybe an entire second floor._ _

__The fence surrounding the property was just as old, rusted out and bent up in many places, some parts leaning dangerously far to one side or the other. It was a wonder they were all for the most part still up._ _

__As the Mazda rolled past the tattered up building, one of several it seemed in this region, he thought he caught the glimpse of a figure behind the broken glass...no, couldn’t have been. Unless…_ _

__“Cooper?” He called, wondering if the so-called market wasn’t as market-y as he was expecting. It would make sense for it to be in a place like this, away from prying eyes and accidental run-ins._ _

__Looking around, he found one part of the fence just bent enough to squeeze past. It was a risk on his paint job, but he was willing to take it. How _Cooper_ , or any of the others for that matter, could make it through such a space, he didn’t know. Maybe there was another entrance on the other side of the building he hadn’t seen._ _

__He almost considered going around to find one, as he tried to pull past the fencing, the ends of wire like nails against his paint. But he was in further now than he was out, it would be pointless to come around again. He just hoped if he could find his co-worker and apparent partner in crime they could finally be done for the night and go home…_ _

__The inside of the building was about as aged as the outside; long cracks from water damage covered the concrete of the floor, over the rubber scuff marks of tire treads as well...not very old ones, actually. Maybe someone, probably teens finding places to smoke likely, had been using the abandoned place._ _

__Slowly moving into the building, Flint couldn’t see anything clear outside of what fell into the thin beams of light through the windows..or what remained of them. The back of the room was dark, where crates and barrels likely were stacked up against the walls. Though he thought one of them moved…_ _

__The Taurus was just finishing the last bits of yesterday's hunt, nibbling scrapes of boiled deer meat off of a bone. Getting ready for another cold night, as the sound of tires on asphalt and quick, quite panicked breathing somewhere to his left got his attention. He froze and listened closely to the stranger. It was no cop, they usually came here in duos and always during the day. A rogue? No, they weren’t as foolish as to come here by themselves._ _

__Whoever was lurking around in his home, they better had a good reason to be here._ _

__Getting up, he puffed his armor plating to seem even bigger and slowly rounded the corner to face the stranger. What he saw made him deflate instantly. With a hint of amusement, he watched as a young Mazda tried to find his way inside the darkness of the building. He didn’t look like much of a threat, but that didn’t mean that he could just enter his territory._ _

__With a huff he turned on his engine, letting the growl it produced speak for itself._ _

__Flint jumped at the noise, eyes darting towards the end of the building, hoping to find the source of the sound. He had a sickening feeling he wasn’t where he was supposed to be. This didn’t look anything like a meeting ground in use, let alone the marketplace where Cooper was supposed to be…_ _

__The Mazda was going to turn to leave, only to remember the way he came was to go back through the fence...his choice was to risk his paint job or the threat of the unknown with a rumbling engine, apparently._ _

__But then he’d be back to lost, back to square one. Maybe the disembodied engine belonged to someone that could help? A risky shot at best, but worth a try._ _

__“Uh..hello?” The dark blue car asked to the shadows of the back of the building._ _

___‘So, it can speak…’_ thought the hybrid, still slightly amused. The kid sounded like he was about to lose his oil._ _

__“What is a kid like _you_ doing in a place like this? Can you answer me that?” he asked, slowly rolling forward into the light that shone through the demolished glashdomes on the roof. He was certain that he must’ve looked like a demon or something similar,as his eyes reflected the light again and he knew that many were scared of that._ _

__And he was right. The moonlight flickering off gave the effect of a raging fire against his irises. And the Mazda was about as ready to find an exorcist as any other was the first time around. He stared across the room like he’d just been welcomed in by a ghost. It was almost as if he didn’t know whether he was actually _real_ or not._ _

__The black car drove forward and towards the close-to-a-panic-Mazda. Sure he looked scary, with the glowing eyes against black paint, but he had no intention of sending the other into an early grave. “You still didn’t answer me kiddo.” he rumbled, allowing the vocals to filter through his engine. _‘If he was already kept up late why not have some fun?’__ _

_‘Oh, right.’_ The other thought to himself - he hadn’t so much as spoken a word since he’d seen the darker car face to face. He swallowed hard, hoping not to make a fool of himself and to get out of here in one piece, alive preferably.

“Uh..I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude..I was j-just lost, I was looking for a friend of mine…” He said, trying to contain his stutters.

“So? And what, pray tell, are you and that ‘friend’, doing here of all places? Don’t you know who lives here? And that there is a high risk of not ever getting out of here again, if you don’t know the right people.” He growled, coming so close to the other car that he could feel his breath in his face. He was good twice the other’s size and far bulkier than him too, no good qualities if one wanted to seem _harmless_. He forced himself to hold back a chuckle as the other made a quiet noise of fear, barely loud enough for him to catch, but undoubtedly there.

“Uh..well, um, you see…” The blue and white car fumbled over his own words, trying to decide amidst the situation whether to lie and act like at least one of them was familiar with the place, or admit to the other that he and Cooper both - as much as the silver car hated to admit to himself, let alone others - weren’t the back-alley thug types. They had only come here for one thing, one part to take back halfway across the country to their corporation - for who knows what.

The Taurus listened to the kid’s stuttering explanation, but it was obvious that he had absolutely no idea why he even was here. “Listen up kid. This land is mine, you're lucky that I am in a good mood. I suppose you and your ‘friend’ are here because of the blackmarket?”

A quick nod confirmed his suspicions.

“Well. I don’t participate there myself but I know that some of my people do. It’s far too dangerous to go out now, the rogues like to scavenge here, and I’m not in the mood to get bit.”

“Oh..” The Mazda looked down, wondering what there was to be done now. He couldn’t leave then, at least not by himself, and Cooper wouldn’t know where he is...then again it was possible he wouldn’t even try to look. He wasn’t exactly the “sympathetic” kind.

“So…” The other chose his words carefully, “I guess you can be allowed to stay for tonight. _Just_ tonight, and just in here.”

“Wh-...What about my friend, though?” the younger questioned, “He won’t know where I am.”

“That’s your problem, not mine.” The red-eyed car replied with a shrug.

“Well..hm..maybe if you can, you know, maybe guide me back out to the main city tomorrow morning, I’m sure I can find the airport from there to at least get home…”

“I won’t take you out that far, but I’ll offer you this- tomorrow I’ll bring you to my territory’s border, then you can find your way from there. We’ll leave at dawn.”

“Oh thank you…” The Mazda said. At least he would be able to get back home. He was sure Cooper would too, so surely everything would work out for them all in the end.

The other moved away slightly before pausing, eyes squinted he turned back to him, and said in a blood curdling growl, “Oh, and should this be a trick of the police, CIA, C.H.R.O.M.E or whatever...And I find out about it? Hm. You’ll be fed to the rogues, I’m sure they’d love a good hunt...” Letting his words sink in he looked the young Mazda deep in the eyes, trying to show that he was the one in charge here. Just because he seemed harmless didn’t mean that he couldn’t pose a possible threat after all. 

It seemed to work and the kid froze up, a flash of fear passed across his face. 

“N-no i-it’s no trick. I-I don’t even know what C.H.R.O.M.E. is...” Flint tried to defend himself but the other had already calmed again.

“Like I said, you’re allowed to stay for _the night_. See those crates? You can make your camp there, should shield you from any prying eyes. And stay put then, I wouldn’t suggest going into the basement floor, my hunters sleep there and they don’t take kindly to strangers.” With that warning, the dark colored car huffed and turned his flank to him, driving up a ramp that lay hidden in the shadows. He drove up to a gallery of which he still wondered how it kept itself above ground. Softly shaking his head he took a last glance at the young Mazda that still sat alone in the darkness, wearily glancing around. _‘Strange kid.’_ he mused.

Driving along the gallery he scanned the darkness with his eyes. If that kid wanted to cause trouble he would be in it up to his windows, that he could ensure. 

The red eyed entered a small room and was greeted by four familiar silhouettes. Just as he laid down beside the one closest to him the other car moved and he found himself stared at out of milky, dull eyes. 

“What’s bothering you, young one?” 

“There’s a stranger on the ground level. If something happens it’ll be my fault because I allowed him to be a refugee here.” 

His worries were met with a dry chuckle. 

“He’s not the first to seek refuge here. If you don’t remember, this place kinda serves as a shelter for a lot of people. What does one more lost soul make for a difference.” 

“I don’t tru-” 

“You don’t trust anyone when you first meet them. It’s your blessing but also a curse. Or do I have to remind you of _‘our’_ first meeting?” 

The dry sarcasm hit it’s mark and he winced at the memory.

“No Thanks. I just don’t want something bad to happen to the guys. They are my people, my responsibility. They trust me and I won’t let them down!” 

“Hm. As nice as your goal sounds, you will hardly be of any help when you nod off every five minutes. Sleep now. And try to give him a chance. We all will still be here when you decide to grace us with that hellfire of yours.” He chuckled at his mentor’s underlying hint to his eye color. Sighing deeply in defeat he laid down comfortably and closed his eyes. 

Flint was sure that something would come and eat him the very second he closed his eyes. The building was far scarier than he had thought and the corner that the red-eyed stranger had ordered him to stay in was located in the darkest part of it.

As if things weren’t bad enough, an icy breeze washed over him. Shivering slightly, he pressed himself against the wall and tried not to think of what may lay inside the darkest corners of the building.


	2. Steel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get weirder...

The black car awoke to the rising sun, stretching his limbs to get rid of the stiffness and aches that the unforgiving concrete floor created; he yawned deeply, taking in the first deep breaths of the morning in all it’s silent, warming beauty. Still a bit sleepdrunk, he looked beside himself and found the older cars still fast asleep, snoring quietly . Chuffing softly, he decided to look after their unusual guest - if he was still there, that was. Though he looked like a somewhat smart kid, he wasn’t sure if he had ignored his advice and welcome and instead left. If that was the case then, well...Chrysler bless him. 

But to the streetracer’s surprise, he was still where he’d left him. Hidden in the corner between the wall and several empty crates laid the young Mazda RX-7, slightly shivering from the cold, the air around him damp from being lower to the earth. In fact, it was so cold that he could see his own breath rise in steamy clouds up into the room, where it met flecks of dust drifting between the beams of light. Feeling some pity for the young car, he drove back up to his room and collected a blanket; Why not be a bit hospitable to their guest? Once he’d collected the old, shaggy blanket he _carefully_ made his way back to the ground floor - he had no intention of slipping and breaking something with the blanket hanging from his jaws. He came down to face-level with the other, draping the cloth over his backside. Though still shivering slightly, he could see the trembling beginning to calm down.

He turned back again and rolled over to the clan’s food storage. Getting two small oil cans, he took one for himself and placed the other in front of the slumbering kid. It wasn’t all that great, but it was something for the road. It would get him to the city airport - if that’s where he was headed.

He stayed by the kid’s side for a few minutes, comfortably sipping his oil and watching the building around him awake bit by bit. The first ones up were a family of camaros. He knew them very well, they had been one of the first to accept him as leader. Their three pupps were all in the age to leave kindergarten and he would take them with him on a few routine patrols when they had enough endurance to keep up. The youngest of the three spotted him and trotted up to him, grinning broadly. The black Taurus smiled back and chuffed in greeting.

“Good morning little one” he said quietly, lowering himself a bit. “Good morning!” piped the young camaro, he rubbed his cheek against the Taurus’ in a friendly greeting and the older car carefully reciprocated the gesture. The little Camaro giggled before his eyes fell on the sleeping Mazda and he curiously looked over his hood towards the other car. 

“Who’s that?” he asked, his eyes as big as food plates.

“A lost soul that needed shelter for the night.” he explained quietly.

“Oh, so….is he gonna stay?” Inquired the kid, still curiously staring.

“No. I will bring him to the town’s edge once he wakes up. He is looking for a friend and once he has found him they will fly back home.” The little camaro wanted to say something but stilled as his siblings called him over. Grinning at him once more he laughed for reasons only known to him before he tapped him on the hood and sped off, giggling. The black car huffed softly, looking after him. _’Children…’_

He looked to the ramps as six of the hunters emerged. The first one was Skylar’s father, he was their chief and responsible for all hunters. Behind him were Skylar and his two younger brothers followed by their mother and her sister. Skylar’s father and he stopped shortly as they saw him, Skylar nodded curtly and then took his position at the head of the formation, leading them out of the building and towards their hunting grounds.

He chuckled softly. Hunting was something that most considered to be done only by savage beasts and animals, but not by civilized cars. But here, it was what kept you alive. They weren’t wanted in the towns, so buying food in a store was out of question. But even if they would have been able, they had no money with which they could have bought anything. That’s not to say they didn’t stick around to get the best of whatever may have later been thrown out...

The young blue and white car stirred slightly beside the Taurus. _‘About time..’_ the other thought, watching him sleepily open his eyes, looking around slowly.

The Mazda suddenly jumped up from where he was laying, startled.

“Wai- wh-where...where am I??”

“Still here.” The other replied flatly.

It took the car a few moments to reconstruct the memories of last night’s incident - how he’d found himself lost in the outskirts of Chicago and ended up in here, where he’d met the red-eyed, potentially demon-possessed vehicle beside him, who’d offered him a chance to stay overnight, away from the dangers of the dark alleys.

“What...time is it, then?” He asked around a yawn.

“Later than I’d liked to have been up.” The black car said, “It’s about eight.”

“I don’t normally get up until nine or ten…” The other said groggily.

“Welcome to having a schedule for survival. What’s your name anyways, kid?”

“Flint. Flint Riverside.” The Mazda told him, shrugging off the blanket he’d just realised was there. He was certain it hadn’t been on him as he’d fallen asleep. He also found the oil can the other had left for him, eying it curiously and then looking back to the Taurus for confirmation that it was, indeed, his.

He got a slight nod in response.

“Hm, interesting name choice.” The other commented, absentmindedly watching the other sucking down on the can like it was the first thing he’d had in months, “It goes with your type at least - not all that tough, if I’m honest.”

Maybe if he’d had more confidence or gut he’d have wanted to retaliate on the other’s blatant remark. But seeing as how he had the high ground, it was an unwise decision. He was right anyways. Compared to the likes of him, or even Cooper for that matter, he was pretty soft.

“What’s your name then?” Flint asked.

“Try and guess.” The other challenged, smirking.

“Uhh..” The other thought of something to bring to mind - what sounded tough for a guy like him? Maybe something kinda out there, he didn’t know if street racers had any specific names they tried to use.

“I dunno, give me a hint?”

“Give me a guess and then maybe.” The other teased, amusement in his tone.

“...I dunno, Cobra or something?”

The Taurus broke out laughing, “Yeah, maybe for an idiot! Try something more normal.”

“Normal? Hm..” ‘Normal’ in car terms was still a pretty broad spectrum. Some families liked the more historically based names, others went with something more creative or ‘out-there’ for various reasons. Either it meant something to the family, or the vehicle itself or their model, and sometimes it just sounded cool and different. Normal, by any means, with cars was not normal.

“Normal liiike...Cody? Or Josh?” 

He got an amused snort as a reply. 

“Here’s a hint, what do you strike with flint to make sparks?”

Oddly specific.

“Uhh I dunno, metal? Iron or steel I think?”

“Pick one.”

“Iron.”

“Err!” The other said, “You had a 50/50 chance and you blew it.”

“So it’s Steel then?”

“Yup. Well, that’s what they call me anyways.”

“It’s not your real name?”

“Nope. And If I tell you I might have to kill you..”

“Steel’s a cool name!” The other stammered, “I’ll just call you that if that’s okay with you!”

“Pff, kid you’re too soft. Learn to toughen up some, will ya? You’ll die out here otherwise.”

“Well, that’s..kinda why I’m not from here.” Flint said, “Me and my friend, we’re just co-workers from the other side of the country. We came here on a...uhh a sort of business trip.”

That seemed to have gotten the other’s attention and he turned to face him, expression dark and serious.

“What for? They must be sinking pretty low to be looking into black markets.”

“Well I...I’m not really allowed to say. But it’s normal for us. They know how to keep it under the radars.” He told him.

“Hm. Well don’t try bringing us any trouble then. We have enough as it is. You don’t seem like that type, but if you are, so Chrysler help me I don’t find and kill you on the spot.”

The other swallowed hard, “N-no, no nothing like that! That’s not what they intend to do at all!”

“Good. Then we don’t have a problem.” The other said. 

It was then that the words hit home and Flint realised that the Taurus had said ‘us’ and not ‘me’. The crates obscured his view and kept him from seeing anything and had also served to muffle any sounds of the surrounding environment. 

“Wait,’us’? There are more people here?” he asked, now more curious than ever.

“Yes. My clan lives here too. We are over two hundred people in here, not all belong to us though. Some are just vagabonds or exiles from other clans that need a shelter for a while. But now quit asking me things that are none of your business and finish your breakfast. And then let’s get going. I still have other things to do today too.”

“Of course.” The other finished the remainder of his cup and hastily followed the other back out of the building. He looked around the old factory with a mix of curiosity and amazement, there were truly more people around than he had first thought. Three young camaros were playing tag in the open space in front of the building, fresh tire tracks lead away from it and into the same direction that they were headed now. 

With a rising feeling of dread Flint realized just _where_ they were headed to.   
His suspicions were confirmed a few minutes later as they stood in front of it.

“Wait, do we have to go back through the fence?” Flint asked.

“You want to get back don’t you?” Steel says dryly.

“Yes..” Flint answers, uneasy of where this was headed. To his dismay, the other steps aside to offer to him the small, twisted over piece of fencing at the edge of the property.

“After you.” He tells him.

“Oh..lovely..” Flint says. Though he was smaller than Steel was, the fence was also really low, and without trying to squeeze past in just the right way, it could catch on just about anything and be pretty unpleasant.

“Why..haven’t you..taken this thing _down_ yet? Wouldn’t that be easier?” Flint asks, halfway through scrambling past the fence, already running into a few problems. His mirror, for one. How Steel was supposed to fit through there without being skinned, he didn’t know. 

“Eh, this way no one else suspects we’re here. A big opening means more traffic, ours _and_ others.” Steel says, rather enjoying the attempt the other makes in trying to untangle his right side mirror from a loose chain link.

“Have you got it?” He eventually offers with a hint of mock pity in his voice. Though it was light and not in the slightest malicious.

“Nope- yep..I..ugh! Got it..” The other finally stumbles out of the tangled mess and into the empty street, new scratches and scrapes across his livery.

It was hard not to give the black colored car a death glare as he slid past the fence opening like a pro, not even getting a scratch.

“Do you always try to show off or were you just lucky?”

“Done it all my life, you tell me.” The other replied, “C’mon, the closest to the main city is down this way.”

The younger male followed his lead, as the two took through a part of town that seemed long since forgotten. Probably abandoned from the end of the last big war, most of the properties around were old factories and warehouses, stripped of any life and now sitting abandoned and falling apart. Some of them had already given in and collapsed, nothing but brick piles and ash. It was as sad to think about as it was interesting that so much of this place had just gone to waste. Well, not entirely to waste - as he’d now understood.

The size of the territory around was surprisingly larger than Flint had expected, which to say was a good thing because it meant he was closer to the main city and the airport where he could finally go home. He was sure that if Cooper had tried to wait for him - emphasis on _if_ \- then by now he’d probably have given up and gone back to their work.

As the two passed an abandoned intersection, the silence around them was suddenly disturbed; Steel stopped dead in his tracks in front of Flint, who stood confused at the sudden change.

Flint didn’t really know what kind of a sound it was, anyhow - he wasn’t as perceptive of the minor changes in his surroundings, not the way the other seemingly was. But whatever rustle or movement of gravel that wasn’t from their own tire treads had set off the other, and before he could ask, the other was shoving him off into the shadows of a building and told him not to move or speak.

A sense of panic came over the Mazda, mostly just from the unknown-ness of his situation. He didn’t know what was going on, but it was clear they weren’t safe right now. The other cautiously peered over the corner wall of the factory building, tense as a bowstring, trying to see if it was still something worth being cautious about.

Apparently it was, as he turned back to the Mazda with a set, frown-like expression.

“I’ll get you to the end of the territory, but we need to move _now_. And we need to be both: Very quickly, and very quiet! And don’t squawk a protest - it’s not the most pleasant way to get there.”

It was in that moment that Flint could hear it too; a low growling, high pitched snarls and sniffling. The sounds of a group of other vehicles, and by the sounds of things not ones you’d want to go say hi to. Maybe it was a brawl between them? He turned back to the steadily more anxious-growing Taurus, not quite understanding the severity of the situation.

“What?” Flint asked, half-whispered - he didn’t dare to speak any louder.

“There’s an entrance not far from here...come on, just try to move quietly.” Steel told him.

Flint followed as quickly as he dared while also trying to stir up as little gravel under his tires as he could. The two went across just one major street, before cutting into the back alleys and tight corners between buildings.

The group of strangers seemed to realise their presence, however, and the sounds of their own wheels against the asphalt quickened, growing louder even as the two were moving away from them. They were in pursuit.

Steel obviously knew the grounds better though, knowing which parts took them there fastest, and least obvious so as to temporarily lose their pursuers. They both came to another clearing, where in the sidewalk’s path lay a long metal plate, rusted out in the edges but there all the same.

Steel stopped just in front of the plate, pulling up a latch from it which inevitably lead to a door Flint didn’t even know was there. The hinges creak under its use, and Steel obviously tries to cover up the sound as much as he can, going slow so as to keep it from alerting the group nearby. The door opens up to a ramp underneath the city, which goes pretty steeply downwards into practically pitch black darkness.

“You’re kidding.” Flint said.

“Do you want to get home or do you want to die?” Steel said, his tone not allowing any compromises. A frustrated-sounding roar alarmingly close to them made both flinch.

“But...but the _sewage_ system!? Isn’t that a little extreme?” Flint whisper-shouted, on the verge of panic.

“It is. Then again there’s more of them out here than I can take, and you’re about as good at being threatening as a piece of paper. I reckon you fight just as good?”

“If by that you mean I _can’t_ then yes...but who’s out here? I thought this was _your_ territory!” Flint said, feeling like the other had lied to him.

“It’s supposed to be...that doesn’t mean they all respect staying away from it though...c’mon, just _go_ , I’ll explain on the way.”

“Oh gosh…” Flint went first - mostly because Steel didn’t give him a choice not to - down into the darkness under the city. He could hear Steel following suit, closing the access ramp door behind them and sealing them both in darkness.

Just in time, too, as the sound of angry engines grew close again, the vibrations practically on top of them as they lay under the street. Apparently they had been found, or did they actually know they were here? After locking the sewer from the inside Steel turned back to him.

“Lights, moron.” He told him from behind, as barely audible as he could be while only a piece of metal kept them between themselves and their pursuers.

Forgetting his own self in the panic, Flint flicked on his headlights, Steel doing the same, as the two continued down the ramp. It leveled out after a while, into a long stretch of tunnel, bordered on both sides by thin walkways, and in the middle...well, Flint didn’t want to think about what that actually was in the middle. 

Water. It’s just water...probably…

“Do you always use the sewage system to get around?” Flint asked sarcastically. Their panic slowly subsiding.

“Not unless we have to. There were rogues back there, we didn’t have a choice. I can’t take them all at once by myself.”

“Okay, what do you mean by “rogues”? Or “taking them”? I thought they were just other vehicles of your group? Didn’t you say that many seek shelter with you?!”

“Yes, and no.” He said simply, but sighed as Flint still seemed to be confused. 

“Look, out here, there’s the group you belong to, and everyone else that’s against you. Sometimes you can make allies, but most of the time they’re out for bloodshed.No Clan member simply kills a vehicle of a different Clan just because they’ve entered their territory. There’ll be a lot of yelling and showing off, maybe a broken axle or two when things turn ugly, but killing is out of question. ‘Cause, out here, wars between clans can quickly escalate, and we don’t need the police to stick their nose into our business…But then you got the _rogues_.

“They don’t belong to any clans and they have no territory. They come into the territories of others, steal their food, kill their prey, and terrorize the local clan before moving on. They’re the true savages out here. You think _we’re_ bad? These guys don’t hesitate to kill any poor unfortunate soul that crosses paths with them. They’re also not shy of killing their own kind. I remember once as a kid, one of the hunting parties didn’t return, and later they were all found dead. The rogues had simply killed them out of pleasure, and had even left the prey there for us. They’ve almost killed my predecessor too, and that guy is a Pick-up twice my size…so you can imagine what they can do to me. Or even you, kid. They don’t know the difference.

“They don’t _make_ a difference. 

“If you're lucky, they’ll just break your skull and grant you a quick, relatively painless death. If luck’s not on your side, they’ll chase you around, biting pieces outta ya until shock and blood loss kill you. That’s also one of the reasons why the fence is still up. It keeps those bastards away - or it helps to, anyways.”

Steel seemed to trail off as he finished - too much to explain and not enough for the kid to really understand. But that’s what he needed to know at least. This was a hard-knock world - either you survive, or you die.

Flint swallowed hard. The realization of just how close they’d gotten to death right there sinking in and almost paralyzing him.

“But...why? What did _we_ do, or you all did, to make them want to kill us?”

“I ask myself that most nights…”

The conversation between the Mazda and the Taurus grew silent as they continued down through the system. Occasionally, they would go through intersecting pipes and make different turns, here and there until Flint felt certain they were lost. But he trusted this stranger, as cold as he seemed. He wasn’t a rogue at least, he had now learned.

“Here, stop up at this tunnel.” Steel said from behind him, as they reached a section of path that branched out from the pipes and had a ramp leading back upwards, likely to the surface.

The return of sunlight was much welcomed by the young Mazda, who had begun to fear they’d never make it out of there. They came out on another side of the region, and by the sounds of nearby vehicles and “city sounds”, it seemed as though they were close to real civilization again.

“Take North Kimball Ave down to I-90. That’ll put you right on the way to the airport.”

“So...this is as far as we go then?”

“It’s the edge of our territory, so yeah.”

“Thank you..you have no idea how grateful I am that you were willing to risk so much just to help me.”

“No problem kid, just don’t make me regret it.” He tried to make it sound tough, but it sounded more like he was playing it off like a bluff.

“I’ll try not to. Take care then, I hope everything works out.”

“Haven’t died yet. Won’t be seeing you, Flint.”

“Uh, you either, Steel.” Flint said, with a rather cheesy grin. He watched Steel disappear in the sewer again before he turned back towards the edge of the city, where the road went from cracked and ashen to slightly more used and much more frequently littered. Hopefully he could still be home before it was dark.

He wondered if Cooper was going to say anything about their separation when he got back. Maybe not, if he didn’t want the boss to know it was his fault in the first place. Maybe it was best to play it off like he didn’t get lost then, and keep his meeting with Steel just between them - though trying to watch Cooper figure out what happened might be pretty funny.

He also wondered if he’d ever even get to see Steel again - likely not, as this was a one-time trip and the chances he’d get to cross paths with the likes of him even if he did come back were slim to none. But it wasn’t impossible. Maybe somewhere down the line, he’d cross paths with the Taurus again, hopefully not in the same situations, but you never know.

Headed back towards the airport with the directions Steel had left for him, he’d hoped that he’d see him again - he hadn’t had the chance to thank him for risking so much.

**Author's Note:**

> Again, seriously thank you Storm for this collab, it was fun and hilarious and I can't wait to do another sometime - hopefully soon! :P


End file.
